Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Preview #9

Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Preview #9
This week we look at the new monk with Sajan, 8th level human monk.

Sajan
Male human monk 8
LN Medium humanoid (human)
Init +3; Senses Perception +3
DEFENSE
AC 23, touch 21, flat-footed 19 (+2 armor, +1 deflection, +3 Dex, +1 dodge, +3 monk, +3 Wis)
hp 63 (8d8+24)
Fort +8, Ref +9, Will +9; +2 against enchantment
Defensive Abilties evasion, slow fall 40 ft.; Immune disease
OFFENSE
Speed 50 ft.
Melee flurry of blows +9/+9/+4/+4 (2d6+2 plus 1d6 fire) or mwk shortsword +9/+4 (1d6+2/19–20)
Ranged shuriken +9/+4 (1d2+2)
Special Attacks stunning fist (8/day, stun, fatigue, or sicken, DC 17)
STATISTICS
Str 14, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 10, Wis 16, Cha 8
Base Atk +6; CMB +10; CMD 29
Feats Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Extra Ki, Greater Disarm, Improved Disarm, Improved Unarmed Strike, Scorpion Style, Stand Still, Stunning Fist, Weapon Focus (unarmed strike)
Skills Acrobatics +14 (+30 jump), Climb +13, Sense Motive +14, Stealth +14, Swim +13
Languages Common
SQ fast movement, high jump, ki pool (9 points), maneuver training, purity of body, still mind, wholeness of body
Combat Gear oil of greater magic fang (+3), potion of cure serious wounds (2); Other Gear mwk shortsword, shuriken (20), ring of protection +1, light fortification bracers of armor +2, flaming amulet of mighty fists, headband of inspiring wisdom +2, monk's robe

Some changes highlighted for the monk

• Flurry of Blows uses the monk's level as its base attack bonus.


• Monks get the Stunning Fist feat for free and can apply different effects other than stunning at higher levels such as fatigued until rest or sicken for 1 minute at 8th level, stagger for 1d6+1 rounds at 12th level, permanently blind or deafen at 16th level and paralyze for 1d6+1 rounds at 20th level.


• Monks can use Quivering Palm once per day.


• Monks add their level to their CMB and add their Wis and Monk AC bonus to their CMD.


• Monks now have ki points equal to 1 per two levels plus their Wis mod which they can spend to get certain benefits like adding extra attack to their flurry of blows at 4th level, gain +20 to a single check at 5th level, heal themselves by spending 2 ki points at 7th level and can eventually use ki points to use dimension door or become ethereal.


• As long as the monk has 1 ki point remaining, his attacks are considered magical for overcoming damage reduction, lawful at 10th level and adamantine at 16th level.


• Amulet of Mighty Fist now add melee weapon properties to the unarmed attacks of the monk with a reduced price.


• Bracers of Armor now also add armor properties such as light fortification.

The introduction of ki points is quite interesting and would make an otherwise dull class fun to play. I didn't had any problem with the attack bonus of the monk in 3.x before but using the monk's level for determining flurry of blows attack bonus is going to make them even more deadly.

Overall, I think they've added more stuff to the monk than really improving or adjusting the flaws of the class which doesn't get me overly excited.

Any thoughts on the pathfinder monk?